Meals from nothing #5...Week long salads

 

Salads figure largely in our household menu pretty much year round. A bit of crunch adds greatly to our enjoyment of most meals here. We grew tired of slimy greens some years ago, and came up with this solution instead. I have to give some credit to an online friend, Claire, who gave me the basic idea. Thanks Claire! Still going strong a decade later!

 

Here's how to NOT have a crisper full of slimy greens and still eat well all week.

 

Week Long Salad

Basic Mixture Salad No. 1 :

 1 whole cabbage (any type), shredded ...a mandolin slicer is brilliant for this.
 6 peeled and grated carrots.

Store in an airtight container. Remove enough each night for that meal only, and add additional ingredients.

 

DO NOT add the extra ingredients to the salad base in the storage container.

Day 1: Remove a portion and add halved cherry tomatoes and dress with balsamic vinegar.

Day 2: Remove a portion and add one tin rinsed beans such as cannellini or four bean mix. Fry 2 rashers of diced bacon, and chop some herbs. Toss well with a dressing of one third each balsamic, olive oil and wholegrain mustard.

Day 3: Add grated cheese and finely sliced shallots. No dressing.

Day 4: Add zest and flesh of two oranges. No dressing.

Day 5: Add 1 cup cooked macaroni, Italian herbs and Italian dressing.

Day 6: Toss with cooked 2 minute noodles and dress with sesame oil and Sushi vinegar.

 

Day 7: Throw the rest into a soup or stir-fry to finish off the week.

 Salad no. 2...

Purchase 2 different 'trendy' lettuces...by which I mean not iceberg. So Romaine, Butter, Frilled, Radicchio, and so on.

Cut off the bottoms to separate the leaves. Wash well.

Stack the leaves on top of one another and slice into three sections lengthwise, then into halves or thirds crosswise.

This is important....invest in a salad spinner.

Put leaves into the salad spinner and spin thoroughly. You'll be amazed at how much moisture is collected and it's moisture that makes the lettuce yucky after a couple of days.

Tip into a large salad bowl.

Put a clean paper towel over the lettuce and cover with cling wrap.

Change the paper towel every couple of days to keep it dry.

Voila...perfect salad greens for the whole week....add ingredients as listed above or add your own variations!

No more dead salads in your crisper!